Client / Owner: Ray Ibarra
Interior Design: studiomille – Daniele Dematté, Luca Cozzani
Visual Identity & Art Direction: OnePlus + Emanuele Abbondanza
Uniforms: Ascend Beyond (Emanuele Abbondanza)
Technical Support: Pareschi Studio
Sound System: Marco Livietti
Photography: Delfino Sisto Legnani
Nestled in via Maiocchi 26, just a stone’s throw from Milan’s vibrant heart, Balay opened its doors in July 2025. This wine bar combines the sociability of natural wine with a culinary offering that bridges Mediterranean and Filipino traditions. Its name, which means “home” in Tagalog, captures the spirit with which Ray Ibarra envisioned the space: intimate, personal, warm, and rooted in memory.
The interiors were crafted by studiomille, a young Milanese studio founded in 2023 by Daniele Dematté and Luca Cozzani. The project respected the existing structure: the original tiled floor and walls layered over time were retained, forming a textured backdrop for the new interventions. From this base, a visual narrative emerges, mixing dark wood and warm textiles – echoes of traditional Filipino interiors – with metal surfaces and raw finishes that evoke the urban energy of Manila.
The space is organised around a horizontal line that divides it into two visual planes, establishing an architectural rhythm. Key elements reinforce the domestic feel: shelves showcasing Ray’s personal collection, a curtain softening the street-facing façade, and a central counter serving as a communal table, bar, or stage for events and DJ sets. A bespoke pendant light takes centre stage, reinterpreting the geometric motifs of traditional Filipino capiz shell windows. The design pairs salvaged office lamp optics with a dark wood frame, creating an object that balances memory and contemporary style.
Opposite, a series of walnut shelves mounted on aluminium tracks allows for flexible configurations and temporary installations. Even construction details become features, as seen in plasterboard shelves with exposed structural edges highlighted by lighting.
Outside, two large monochrome curtains mark the façade: sculptural and simple by day, they glow like gentle lanterns by night, radiating the bar’s warm interior light. The project was brought together by a collaborative team: OnePlus handled visual identity and art direction with Emanuele Abbondanza, who designed the uniforms under his brand Ascend Beyond; Marco Livietti created the sound system, and Pareschi Studio provided technical support. With Balay, Milan gains a venue that transcends the traditional bar concept: a space that breathes like a home, adapts to events, and preserves a hybrid identity, caught between Filipino roots and urban sensibility.
